Girdle



March 10, 1953 H. M. HERBENER GIRDLE ligegmaywz; 195o INVENrQR ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 1.0, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GIR/DLE Henry M. Herbener, Thomasville, Ga.

Application May 25, 1950, Serial N o. 164,213

6 Claims. (C1. 2-258) My invention relates to girdles or like garments and to resilient means for holding a portion of the garment raised or in proper place upon the user.

An important object of the invention is to provide resilient means which will properly support the upper portion of the girdle, will retain the adjacent portion of the girdle lclose to the body of the wearer, and has a high degree of flexing action to permit of the bending or stooping of the body, without discomfort to the user.

A further object of the invention is to provide a supporting element which is light, simple and compact and will promote the comfort of the user. In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout same,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a resilient supporting element embodying my invention, parts of the girdle being broken away, and parts in section,

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the sup porting element, taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a side elevation of a second form of resilient supporting element, Figure 4 is a vertical section thorugh the supporting element taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3, showing a further modified form of resilient supporting element,

Figure 6 is a vertical section through the supporting element taken on line 6--6 of Figure 5.

In Figures 1 and 2, I have shown a resilient device 4| to be appliedto the front panel 26 of a girdle, to hold the front panel raised and in proper place upon the user, without discomfort. The panel 26 used in connection with the device 4l is vertically non-elastic. This resilient supporting element is designated by the numeral 4l, and is formed of resilient sheet metal or like material. This resilient element comprises an upper head 42 and a lower head 43. The upper head 42 is horizontally arranged and provides a long bearing surface 44 and the head 43 is horizontal and provides a long bearing surface 45. The resilient supporting element 4|V is integral and includes vertical strips 46 and 41, extending from the longitudinal centers of the heads 42 and 43 respectively. At their inner ends, the vertical strips 45 andA Mare integral with the longitudinal center of a horizontal'strip 48 or torsional element. This horizontal torsional element or strip has vertically spaced longitudinal slits or slots 49, forming horizontal arms 50 and a filler section or web 5l, which prevents the passage of flesh between the horizontal arms 50. The arms 50 have a torsional action, corresponding to the U-sliaped portions 3B.

The resilient supporting element 4I is applied to the upper portion of the front panel 26, between this panel and the outer layer 27, and the supporting element is held centered by line or lines of stitching 52, connecting elements 26 and 2l. The top head 42 bears against the folded edge 28 of the front panel, while the bottom head 43 bears against the line ofstitching 52.

This resilient supporting element will retain the upper edge of the panel 25 raised, and the upper edge of the panel may be bent or swung forwardly, the head 42 swinging forwardly and downwardly toward the head 43, and this swinging movement is rendered possible by the resilient action of the strips 46 and 41 and the torsional action of arms Eil, which are resilient. When pressure is removed from the top of the panel, the supporting element 4l returns such top to the raised position.

In Figures 3 and 4, I have shown a further. modied form of resilient supporting element. In this form of the invention the strips 46 and 4l are integrally secured to the longitudinal centers of horizontal strips or torsional elements 53 and 54. These torsional elements have longitudinal slits or slots 55, forming horizontal torsional arms 55. The inner arms 56 of the two torsional elements are connected by a web 51, at the longitudinal center of the same, forming slots 58.

The resilient supporting element shown in Fig. ures 3 and 4 is applied to the front panel in the same manner as explained in connection with the supporting element 4I of Figure l, and the same operation occurs. All other parts of the device remain identical with those shown and described in Figures 1 and 2.

In Figures 5 and 6, I have shown a further modification of the resilient supporting device wherein the vertical strips 46 and 41 are formed integral with horizontal strips or torsional elements 59, at their longitudinal centers. Each torsional element 59 has a pair of longitudinal slits or slots 65, forming horizontal resilient torsional arms 5l, and a filler strip 52. The inner sides of the torsional elements 56 are connected at their longitudinal centers by a strip or web 63, `forming slots 64. The entire device is integral and is otherwise identical with that shown and described in Figures l and ,2. The supporting element of Figure 5 is applied to the front panel in the same manner as indicated in connection with the supporting element 4 I, Figure 1, and the operation is substantially the same.

It is to be understood that the forms of my invention herewith shown and described are to be taken as preferred examples of the same and that various changes in the shape, size, arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l, A resilient supporting element to be applied to a girdle or like garment to hold the same in position upon the user, said element being formed from resilient sheet metal and including an upstanding strip provided near its top and bottom with generally horizontal heads, each head extending in opposite directions beyond the upstanding strip, and substantially horizontal upper and lower torsional arms, operatively carried by the upstanding strip, each torsional arm having its opposite ends extending beyond the upstanding strip, the opposite ends of each torsional arm being connected with the corresponding ends of the other torsional arm.

2. A resilient supporting element to be applied to a garment for holding the garment in position upon the user, said element comprising an upstanding resilient body portion having upper and lower ends, and a generally horizontal resilient tortional strip substantially rigidly secured to the body portion near its longitudinal center and remote from the upper and lower ends, said tortional strip extending outwardly beyond the side edges of the upstanding body portion, said tortional strip having spaced narrow openings formed therein, each opening extending throughout the major portion of the length or" the tortional strip and having its opposite ends terminating short of and adjacent to the opposite ends of the tortional strip, the tortional strip including a ller strip arranged between the narrow openings and having its opposite ends secured to the opposite ends of the tortional strip.

3. A resilient supporting element to be applied to a garment for holding the garment in position upon the user, said element comprising an upstanding resilient body portion having upper and lower ends, and generally horizontal resilient tortional strips operatively secured to the body portion near its longitudinal center and remote from the upper and lower ends, said tortional strips being separated by narrow openings, each tortional strip extending outwardly beyond the side edges of the upstanding body portion, each tortional strip having spaced narrow openings formed therein, each opening extending throughout the major portion of the length of the tortional strip and having its opposite ends terminating short of and adjacent to the opposite ends of the tortional strip, each tortional strip including a filler strip arranged between the narrow openings of the tortional strip and having its opposite ends secured to the opposite ends of the tortional strip.

4. A unitary resilient supporting element to be applied to a girdle or like garment to hold the same in position upon the user, said element being formed of sheet metal and including an upstanding strip, upper and lower heads carried by the strip, each head extending for substantial distances beyond the edges of the upstanding strip, and a generally horizontal resilient 'tortional strip formed integral with the intermediate portion of the upstanding strip and ex'- tending for substantial distances beyond the edges of the upstanding strip, said tortional strip having a longitudinal opening extending throughout the major portion of its length and terminating adjacent to and short of the opposite ends of said tortional strip.

5. A resilient supporting element to be applied to a girdle or like garment to hold the same in position upon the user, said element being unitary and formed from resilient sheet metal and including upstanding strip sections provided near their outer ends with generally horizontal heads, each head extending in opposite directions beyond the adjacent upstanding strip section, and a substantially horizontal torsional strip arranged between and formed integral with the inner ends of the upstanding strip sections and having its opposite ends extending beyond the upstanding strip sections, the torsional strip having longitudinal opening means formed therein which terminate short of the opposite ends of the torsional strip, the opening means forming substantially horizontal torsional arms, each torsional arm being connected at its opposite ends with the corresponding opposite ends of the companion torsional arm.

6. A resilient supporting element to be applied to a girdle or like garment to hold the same in position upon the user, said element being unitary and formed from resilient sheet metal and including upstanding strip sections provided near their outer ends with generally horizontal heads, each head extending in opposite directions beyond the adjacent upstanding strip sections, and a plurality of substantially horizontal torsional strips arranged between and formed integral with the inner ends of the upstanding strip sections, each torsional strip having its opposite ends extending beyond the adjacent strip section, each torsional strip having a plurality of longitudinal slots terminating near and short of the opposite ends of such. torsional strip, the slots of each torsional stripforming substantiallyhorizontal torsional arms, the opposite. ends of each torsional arm being connected with the corresponding opposite ends of the companion torsional arm, and an intermediate strip formed integral with the adjacent inner torsional arms of the torsional strips.

HENRY M. HERBENER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 232,963 Reed Aug. 11, 1885 679,977 Martin Aug, 6, 1901 1,142,045 McLeod June 8, 1915 1,207,104 Wallace Dec. 5, 1916v 1,474,190 Fox Nov. 13, 1923 2,195,024 Bullock Mar, 26, 1940 2,511,641 Kuhn June 13, 1950 2,520,009 Kramer Aug. 22, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 815,443 France Apr. 12, 1937 

